The meat cutting and forest products industries have a high incidence of hand injuries due to the use of various types of power saws. Repetitive movements over long periods of time tend to promote fatigue and behavior which results in injury. The speed at which work must be accomplished, typically to keep up with an assembly line, also puts workers at risk. Additionally, particularly within the meat cutting industry, cold temperatures tend to reduce manual dexterity and increase the number of injuries.
Safety equipment has resulted in some protection for workers, but has generally fallen short of what is needed. One type of known hand-protecting apparatus is the wire mesh glove. Such a glove incorporates the strength of steel with the flexibility of mesh to give significant protection against injury, particularly from knife blades. However, saw blades tends to grab the mesh and compound the injury; as a result use of such gloves is typically not recommended for use by workers using saws.
As a result, there is a significant unsatisfied need for a protecting apparatus that is suitable for use in protecting workers' hands from a variety of power equipment, including power saws in particular.